| Date | Thursday February 19 2015 |
| Driver | Jenson Button |
| Location | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (4.655km) |
| Laps/km | 21/98km |
| Best laptime | 1m28.182s |
Programme
The team kicked off this week’s Barcelona test with a series of short runs to evaluate some mechanical balance changes. After concluding the third run of the morning, and with the team getting into the programme, a broken seal on the MGU-K caused a problem that ended running for the day.
Despite the stoppage and the limited running, Jenson was upbeat about the car’s balance, handling and predictability.
YASUHISA ARAI – Honda R&D senior managing officer – chief officer of motorsport
“We had to stop running this morning after discovering a faulty seal on the MGU-K. That faulty part then caused an issue that requires full replacement of the power-unit – and the time needed to make those changes effectively ends today’s programme.
“We’ll need to run a re-designed component to avoid a potential repeat of the problem. Unfortunately, we won’t be in possession of that updated part until Saturday, which means that we may face the same problem when we run again tomorrow.
“Such issues are all part of testing, but we’ll make the best changes we can overnight, and will plan for a productive day of running – with Fernando behind the wheel – tomorrow.
“Hopefully, with a bespoke solution ready for Saturday, both drivers will have an opportunity to get some useful laps under their belts, with Jenson driving on Saturday, and Fernando concluding the test on Sunday.”
TODAY’S UNOFFICIAL TESTING TIMES
| 1 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus | 1m25.011s | 69 laps |
| 2 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari | 1m25.127s | 74 laps |
| 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1m25.547s | 59 laps |
| 4 | Sergio Perez | Force India | 1m26.636s | 34 laps |
| 5 | Felipe Nasr | Sauber | 1m27.307s | 79 laps |
| 6 | Max Verstappen | Toro Rosso | 1m27.900s | 94 laps |
| 7 | Jenson Button | McLaren-Honda | 1m28.182s | 21 laps |
| 8 | Pascal Wehrlein | Force India | 1m28.329s | 32 laps |
| 9 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mercedes | 1m28.489s | 48 laps |
| 10 | Susie Wolff | Williams | 1m28.906s | 86 laps |
| 11 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1m30.429s | 11 laps |
What’s next
Second day of the test – first day in the car for Fernando. With the prospect of limited mileage, the team will look at undertaking some time-intensive bigger set-up changes in a bid to maximise learning about the car’s balance – so expect lengthy breaks between runs throughout the day.
Test dates
Four days (February 19-22).